08 November 1, 2008 - ObserverXtra

The Observer | Saturday, November 01, 2008 SPORTS | 25
»SUGAR KINGS HOCKEY
ANATOMY OF A WIN At left, forward Josh Ranalli watches the puck sail past Listowel’s Josh Leis late in the third period of last Sunday’s battle against the Cyclones. The goal, courtesy of Kyle McNeil, turned out to
be the game-winner as the Kings won 4-3. Right, forward Brent Freeman stormed through two defencemen to get to the Listowel net on this play, late in the game. Inset: Elmira defenceman Trent Brown steamrolls
Listowel’s Tory Fisher.
Kings more confi dent after weekend split
Bouncing back from loss in Waterloo, Elmira’s hard work pays off at home against Listowel
MARC MIQUEL HELSEN
It was a weekend of mixed
results for the embattled
Sugar Kings, but one that
ended on a high note. After
losing 6-3 to Waterloo
Oct. 24, the Sugar Kings
came home on Sunday
to face the Listowel Cyclones
in a nail-biter of a
match that ended in a 4-3
win.
It was the Kings’ sixth
win of the season and
one that couldn’t have
come at a better time for
a squad still struggling to
fi nd itself in this year’s
campaign.
“I thought it was by far
our most complete effort
of the season,” said coach
Geoff Haddaway after
Sunday’s game.
“We were really close
to having a lot of guys
wondering if we were
ever going to get a win
despite us playing well,
and that’s a dangerous
thing. As coaches, we
were certainly preaching
patience to the players
… as a coaching staff we
were 100 per cent behind
these guys and believing
in them, and it was nice
to see them rewarded for
their hard work.”
The win places the Kings
(6-10-2) in seventh place in
the conference.
From the drop of the
puck, the Kings got off
to a hurried start – it was
evident they were hungry
for a win.
It took them no time at
all to send the message
they meant business.
Josh Ranalli might have
set a club, if not a league
record, by potting a quick
goal at the 10-second mark
of the fi rst frame. Newcomer
Kyle McNeil and
Trent Brown picked up
the assists.
The Cyclones retaliated
shortly after, as Brett
Catto, from Tory Fisher
and Joel Bowman, evened
things up after only 1:19
had ticked away on the
score clock.
Throughout the entire
game the Kings exhibited
stoic discipline, racking
up just fi ve penalties.
Brown – who tripped an
opponent and sent him
fl ying in what, from one
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hip check – incurred
the sole infraction
of the fi rst frame.
In the second and third
periods, the home side
outplayed its opponents
in both ends but was particularly
effective in the
neutral zone. Elmira’s
forechecking forwards
and its defence made sure
the Cyclones had no room
or time to move in noman’s
land.
“I like to think we practice
all three zones equally.
The neutral zone’s the one
that often gets left out, but
we have been preaching
a lot of neutral zone defence
over the last couple
weeks and I thought that
we did a pretty good job
there,” said Haddaway,
noting that getting the
puck in deep, whether to
create an offensive rush
or to make a line change
was key.
“There was a much
greater effort on committing
to that part of the
game plan last night than
there probably has been
all year.”
The Cyclones were eager
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to stake their claim on the
middle frame and at 5:17,
Braedon Rigney (Catto,
Mitch Allen) gave the visitors
a slim 2-1 lead. But
the Kings answered back
shortly thereafter. And
while they scored just
one goal in the period,
courtesy of Kyle Blaney
(Ranalli, Patrick Shantz),
the second was dominated
by the home side.
The Kings mustered just
two more shots (13) than
Listowel, but kept their
end air-tight: netminder
Brandon Wysman made
10 saves but his defenders
were quick to close
in on the rebounds, depriving
Listowel of any
second chances.
The teams went back to
their dressing rooms tied
2-2.
In the third, it was the
Kings who broke the
deadlock. Michael Therrien
buried one on the
power play at 3:48, assisted
by Shantz and Tyler
Kuntz.
The plot thickened
shortly after as Catto,
from Kyle Goss and Tyler
Egerdee, netted his sec-
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ond of the night to make
it a tie game once again.
Realizing that they
were courting disaster
after having played such
a solid game, the Kings
battled for the remainder
of the game. Finally, at
17:17, McNeil picked up
his second point of the
night, and gave his team
the one-goal advantage
after converting on a setup
from Brent Freeman
and Brown.
The Cyclones then made
a big push as the game
was winding down, eventually
pulling their goalie
with about a minute left.
With just 40 seconds to
go the Kings took a risk
and dumped the puck in
an attempt to bank an
empty-netter. Instead, the
puck slid by the posts and
prompted an icing call.
After a face-off in Elmira’s
end, the Cyclones
showered the Elmira net
with a deluge of desperate
shots. But dropping
repeatedly to block shots,
the Kings weathered the
storm.
“By no means has this
thing been turned around
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completely, but I think
the guys fi nally saw that
when we put that kind
of effort in we can get rewarded,”
said Haddaway
of the confi dence booster.
The Kings’ latest acquisition,
McNeil, was pleased
with his team’s results.
“I see a lot of potential
on this team. A lot of
young guys but a lot of
guys have heart – they
want to work hard. You
work hard, you’re going
to achieve success. As
long as we keep working
hard, the wins are going
to come,” said McNeil,
who joined the Kings
from the Quebec Major
Junior Hockey League.
The hulking forward
(6’3” tall, 225 pounds) adds
some size to the team. His
numbers this week attest
to his offensive punch:
four goals, one assist and
14 penalty minutes in just
three games.
The Kings take on the
Winter Hawks in Cambridge
tonight (Saturday),
before coming home Sunday
for a match-up with
the Stratford Cullitons.
The puck drops at 7 p.m.
9am - 11am & 1pm - 3:30pm
9am - 11am & 1pm - 4:30pm
9am - 11am & 1pm - 4:30pm
9am - 11am & 1pm - 3:30pm
9am - 11am & 1pm - 4:30pm
You must bring your Health card.
Elmira Medical Centre
2 Park Ave. W., Elmira 519-669-5493
PHOTOS | MARC MIQUEL HELSEN